Is your door vin sticker missing?

Peeled off vin decal

So you got your car painted including the jambs and you have to ask yourself, ” is my door vin sticker missing”? Really? They didn’t even tape over my originals? That is a sure sign you have had major work done to your car or possibly the door had been replaced. This not only devalues the car but when you go to sell your car for top dollar the question may even be if it was stolen. Not likely, however, it sure can deflate a sale. This is something most people forget to address when taking their car in for work. Make sure the shop is aware of this detail, especially if the insurance company is involved in repairs. What happens if we try to peel the vin sticker off? They are designed by the manufacturer to separate and makes it unusable, most people know this who have tried it.

Don’t get taken by what the seller tells you, get a real report on your future car or truck.

Working in the body shops for years we were always told by the dealer that they could not get them. So what choice did we have? Well the best alternative when replacing a door was to cut the metal around the vin decal and place it in the glove box for future reference. How much more obvious is that for a door replacement. Fortunately, in recent years there have been a few companies that make reproduction vin tags. However, be aware of unlicensed companies that do not make them to OEM standards. As a body shop we have used them for door jamb sticker replacement. If we are writing an estimate for either the customer or the insurance company, we would just add a line for the cost or replacing the vin sticker.
If the individual is paying for the decal it could be “sticker shock” at the price, no pun intended. Considering the ramifications if not replaced, the cost is not really that much. The decals with the vin number on them are not the only decals you may need. Most of the others are available from the dealer provided the vehicle is not too old. In many cases they will not be available. These companies do almost any other factory replacement decals which include:

Emissions sticker replacement

Motorcycle vin stickers

Classic car vin plate replacement

Trailer vin decals

Tire pressure decals-

Why is this important? The manufacturer posts tire pressure information for the safety of the vehicle. The only thing between your car and the road is the tires and if they are improperly filled could cause excessive wear or poor stability of the car. In severe cases can cause an accident. Any deviation of the size or inflation pressure is against manufacturer’s recommendation. Therefore, instead of trusting what the tire has on them, take a look at the sticker.